Southern Moderate African American Issues

Posts Tagged ‘Donald Trump’

Campaigning and governing requires putting policies and situations in terms people can understand. The policy wonks and campaign advisors on Capitol Hill and in Buckhead aren’t about is life in “G. A. red clay.” I have a few popular culture references to explain what’s what.

In the Geto Boys’ hit “My Mind Playing Tricks On Me,” Willie D said “Or is it the one I beat for five thousand dollars. Thought he had caine but it was Gold Medal flour.” While I am no lawyer and intent is different in different states, Donald Trump Jr. thought he was about to getg dirt from a foreign government that could change the election….intent like thinking you purchased cocaine but got flour. You tried to do something very wrong if not illegal. If Watergate and Bill Clinton’s drama was a pebble, this mess is a basketball sized rock.

“I make big money. I drive big cars. Everybody know me. It’s like I’m a movie star.” President Ronald Reagan was a movie star turned governor but we shouldn’t forget that he was head of the Screen Actors Guild, a big union. The Trumps thought making a lateral move from the private sector to public sector fame would be simple. Running for office is like a Madison Avenue marketing campaign but actually governing with 300 million bosses is something else.

This nation owes a collective apology to Jeb Bush. Donald Trump saw seeking and maybe being president as another project. Jeb knew how hard being in high office was from watching his family to being governor of a big, diverse state. Jeb said that he wouldn’t run if it required the sneakiness and lies that basically Trump used. And may I say, the Black community will never support Trump because of his dirty treatment of Obama and will never support anyone for any office who thinks or thought he is presidential material.

Between a Transformer movie and the Terminator franchise, characters that can morph into something else puts me in the mind of some politicians. Yea, these Decepticons run for office under one flag and switch. The current Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue was a Democrat a few years before he switched to the GOP and became governor of Georgia. Nathan Deal is the governor now but was a moderate Democrat congressman.

Shakespeare wrote “what’s in a name, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Matthew 7:15-20 spoke of false prophets, ravening wolves in sheep’s clothing. You will know good leaders by the fruits they bear because a corrupt tree can’t produce good fruit.

The skill set that got the Trumps rich disqualifies them to run the White House. It’s the White House..not the oligarch-run Kremlin.

The mid-term elections of 2018 will be the first step for Republicans and Democrats in getting back to a normal government. Regular Republicans are having second thoughts and some folks are discovering that deep federal cuts will hit them hard. Their minds are playing tricks on them.

Obama and Hillary Clinton were about a strong defense but when possible soft power—using goodwill and temporary foreign assistance to help nations help themselves. The Geto Boys sang “I live by the sword. I take my boys everywhere I go, because I’m paranoid. I keep lookin’ over my shoulder and peepin’ around corners. My mind is playin’ tricks on me.”

That sounds like Trump, his sons and son in law to me (Ivanka is cool because she is down with Chelsea Clinton). Trump and North Korea’s Kim live by the sword but Isaiah 2:4 spoke of beating swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks—learning war no more.

I am blown away by people who don’t vote. My friends tell me to be nice but forget that. You can sit in the cold to watch high school football but not vote. You can play Call of Duty the video game but not vote for or against the guys who decide when, where and how long real troops serve.

Let me, oh let me mention Gore vs. Bush. So, the Democrats on Capitol Hill helped President Bill Clinton put the nation in good shape but the working people Dems fight for fail to vote. Al Gore falls to George Bush by a margin that could be one south Florida housing project. Oh, the conservatives would say how dare you give short-term public assistance to poor people who refuse to pick these citrus crops and maybe they have a point but vote and let your concerns be heard. Some say the farm workers’ wages are too low…then vote. Hey, you can protest on the streets but voting and attending city council and school board meetings get stuff changed legally.

Why Vote:

Obama Legacy: If you appreciate the service of President Obama and how First Lady Michelle Obama carries herself, vote to stop Trump from moving into the White House and reversing everything on day one. As President Obama said recently, Hillary Clinton would be the most qualified person to enter the Oval but you know how it is for women in a man’s world. She will put her personal style of diplomacy on the office and that style is similar to Clinton and Obama.

Healthcare: Trump can’t wait to dismantle Obamacare on the federal level but don’t sleep on the governors like Deal in Georgia who won’t expand Medicaid for all. The insured use the emergency room as a doctor’s office and at that point the illness is costly. If everyone had a minimum level of healthcare coverage, early detection of health problems could save trillions but that would be too much like right. Prevention and wellness would be even better; the doctor tells you to get that weight down and if you don’t, you dug your own grave. You can’t save people from themselves. Politicians get campaign donations from hospital, drug and insurance lobbyists so maybe it’s true that they want people to remain sick. Vote!

National Defense: Have mercy, are we going to let hothead Trump have the nuclear codes? Everyone has friends and family who joined the military to serve and because the uniform has job security. They see the world, stay paid and learn valuable leadership skills. We should watch who is in the White House and Congress because our best and brightest shouldn’t die because leaders want to act macho. If the bombing starts, leaders are in that famous “undisclosed location” while my cousin is on the front line. We must vote if we carry about the troops and their families.

We know big business makes billions when America goes to war; some people think corporate interest want war so they can supply the troops. Big business does business in a nasty way around the world and when the people get weary of their leaders allowing this exploitation, Wall Street wants the Pentagon to get the situation back to normal. Our interest in the Middle East is rooted in our thirst for oil. The next president should have a comprehensive plan to make us energy smarter while being more respectful on the global stage….that John Wayne cowboy stuff doesn’t work anymore.

Jobs/Wages: My hourly wage from UPS in 1983 is still a desired wage today but the cost of everything has gone up. Trump-type CEOs are only interested in the bottom line profits. Mr. Trump rightfully says we don’t make anything in America anymore…and he should know because he is a major exporter of jobs. Young people must keep their bills low as they train for high tech careers in the new global economy. Today’s jobs require fewer people so we must elect leaders who create the proper climate for industrial attraction. The future workers must be sober, focus and attentive because the developing world is enthusiastic about doing better and taking out our position on top. America IS great today but we must work hard and smart to keep it that way.

Schools: We must elect local, state and federal officeholders who are committed to a good education for all kids. To be honest, the conservatives seem more interested in providing vouchers so their kids can get into private schools or homeschools…just get them away from poor folks. Georgia has a constitutional amendment on the ballot this year that seems to improve underperforming schools but the real purpose is to close or privatize those schools. You see what they do when you don’t vote.

The effort to privatize public schools is an attack on the teaching profession; teaching and the military has traditionally been an opportunity for families to move into the middle class. The next generation of teachers will also serves as role models and cheerleaders for kids. We should elect leaders who recognize this reality.

Crime/Freedom: The elected City Council selects a city manager who often selects the police chief who sets the police mentality. The police have always been my friends and if I am wrong, I am wrong. But, I don’t need police who seem to be overseers of the public. President Bill Clinton got Congress to pass a Crime Bill that included an emphasis on community policing—get out of the car, get to know the people, connect with the youth, honor the seniors and people will appreciate enforcement when it happens.

My community is too busy playing Grand Theft Auto to vote; therefore, real GTA is happening on the streets. Yes, friends quietly mention that we are killing each other more than the police are killing us. We must vote for elected officials with compassion; leaders who rightfully encourage all citizens to be cool when dealing with the police and insist that the officers do the same. Prison is like modern day slavery so all Americans should avoid those places. State representatives and senators spent decades with that “lock ‘em and toss the key” mindset before realizing that corrections cost more than college.

While we were voting state officials created junk laws and policies like “stop and frisk” in New York and “stand your ground” in the South. In high crime areas, the police frisk random people but you don’t need to frisk me in Harlem if a crime hasn’t been committed by someone who looks like me.

How, how, how did we let those fools pass Stand Your Ground. Let me understand this mess: if I feel like I am in danger (not real danger, just I feel endanger) I can start shooting rather than walking away. It’s the cowboy mentality and mind you, I think all of those hip hop youth are dangerous thugs. Stand Your Ground is open season on people who don’t look like you. i.e. college students in timberland boots, White guys with tattoos. Wow.

Six reasons to vote but check this: the last six times I voted early, it didn’t take 10 minutes. A football halftime show last longer but this isn’t a game…the stakes are too high. Washington and Atlanta officials whisper that poor people don’t vote and stats say they are right. I say we all should vote in every election for every ballot item.

Finally, there is something to be said about association. The conservatives who openly denounce the farce candidacy of Donald Trump should be commended. The same can be said about the vast majority of Muslims who abhor terrorism and regular citizens who would never advocate gun attacks on the police. Reasonable people who are quietly standing around as the GOP is being hijacked by far right zealots should be ashamed. It wasn’t the Klan doing all the nasty stuff during Jim Crow. State, local and federal elected officials were doing the same things because we weren’t allowed to vote. Vote or we are going back to the future. In the spring, Trump said he was going to “act” presidential after the primary. After winning the White House, I think he would act like himself…like a dangerous tyrant.

Strategery is a comical word said by Will Ferrell on Saturday Night Live while playing candidate George Bush. Voting with a strategy is no laughing matter for Blacks in the South.

As we know, most Black southerners who vote favor the Democrat Party however, I stay ticked off by the fact that many Blacks simply don’t vote. Oh, hard working, church attending, clean nosed African Americans vote as part of our civic duty and to help form a more perfect union. But, a shocking percentage of Blacks who live in part on public assistance can’t be troubled to go vote. But, the same folks pay 8 bucks every Friday night to profile at the high school football game…in the cold….for hours. Really?

If those folks voted, the Republicans wouldn’t run most of politics in the South outside the largest cities. Strategery would dictate that Blacks Who Actually Vote (BWAV) come up with a fallback plan because begging cats to vote isn’t working. The purpose of voting is to select elected leaders who best reflect your views and opinions. So logically, if the Democrats aren’t even fielding candidates in most contests, we must select from the Republicans…I won’t say “the lesser of evils” because most of them aren’t actually evil and I have yet to see any horns.

Georgia has a special election in December in State Senate District 20 and Mrs. Vivian Childs is a candidate. You won’t meet nicer people than Mrs. Childs and her retired colonel husband Henry. They are deeply involved in the Houston County/Middle Georgia community and raised outstanding children.

Let’s talk about trump but not about presidential candidate Donald Trump. I mean the fact that candidate Childs’ membership in a prominent African American sorority “trumps” the fact that she is a Republican. Yes, DST trumps GOP with me because we are cut from the same cloth and have a shared cultural history. This blog often points out many southern Blacks are conservative in actuality because we think success comes from personal actions rather than governmental involvement. Yes, the government should protect basic civil rights but the safety net has created a softness with citizens of all colors.

Of course, the far Right trips so hard that they have ensure that Blacks aren’t comfortable joining the GOP until the traditional conservatives retake the ship….that won’t happen soon. But, putting a reasonable, positive person like Vivian Childs in the state senate would be a step in the right direction. Mrs. Childs’ career always involved helping people through education or ministry. District 20 Democrat voters should vote for one of the GOP candidates in this non-partisan election and Mrs. Childs is a wise move.

Donald Trump got rich in business by using leverage and the Black community has little leverage in state government these days because we are overwhelmingly with the losing team.

What the heck is the Black presidential plan relative to Donald Trump in the South? Hillary is the Dem nominee and that reality frees us up for strategery in the GOP primary. First, the Republicans hate it when Democrats vote in the GOP primary so I like that…let their heads explode but I want to vote where the action is.

We could vote for Donald Trump or Dr. Ben Carson because Hillary would have an easier time whupping them next November. But, what if they actually won?! As we say on my block, “don’t even play like that.” The GOP nom needs to be a serious leader with a proven history of governing…a big state governor. While Chris Christie is a “big” state governor who can lead, I mean a governor from a “big state” like Florida or Texas. With Rick Perry gone, Jeb Bush is the guy and Ohio Governor John Kasich should be his running mate.

Bottomline, Black folks need to get behind Vivian Childs, Jeb Bush and John Kasich because the stakes are too high to let the GOP voters decide alone.

Young people today often lust for the expensive lifestyle of a rapper. Without family wealth or marketable skills, the wrong path has been a horrible option. Donald Trump is right about the exportation of jobs and available jobs require knowledge of STEM subjects… Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. While these important fields involve many hours of studying, we should remember how many hours are spent trying to make the NBA or the rap charts.

President Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack are on a mission to ensure that kids from every rural area have the STEM opportunities to prepare them for the jobs of the future. Southwest Georgia is one of the poorest areas of this nation but the students in five SOWEGA counties will have advanced distance learning connections with researchers at Georgia Tech “stemming” from USDA grants. These young people will be ready to help keep America at the forefront of advancements and they will be able to purchase the nice life from using their minds. I bet they will be more prudent with their dollars than most rappers and ballers.

The following press release includes a quote from my college classmate Quinton Robinson that reads

“This will exponentially expand effectiveness of educational programs and help ensure rural Georgia is workforce ready”, said USDA Rural Development Georgia state director, Quinton Robinson.

At Albany State’s homecoming this month, the fellows are going to say thanks for making sure kids today have resources we didn’t have. As quiet as it is kept, HCBUs produce graduates who often advocate for people and communities that could use a hand up…not a hand out.

Keith McCants is my favorite young person in American politics. This conservative/moderate blogs at Peanut Politics when he isn’t getting up “before day in the morning” to work as a welder at the bus plant in Fort Valley. Oh yea, he is also seeking reelection to the Oglethorpe, Georgia City Council. And the fellow was born two weeks after I graduated from high school in 1982.

When Democrats and Republicans want to know what a real working man thinks about an issue, they call Keith while he is coming from or going to build America. Donald Trump says we don’t make anything in this country anymore but he should tell that to Keith’s aching muscles.

Too many young people are focused on sports skills, rap skills, shake dancing skills and I better stop right there skills. My daddy would say that Keith has marketable skills and recently Keith put a video of a young lady on facebook that was too exciting. This young business woman was finishing drywall; she has the skills to pay the bills on a HGTV style.

When I was a kid, John Travolta’s character on Saturday Night Fever did a bunch of dancing after he spent the day learning how to sell paint at the hardware store. In the old school, you burn off youthful energy by attending college, serving in the military or learning a career from the ground up. If young people stay focus and patient, they will eventually make manager or start their own businesses.